The present invention relates to a cable connection for electrical equipment for connecting at least one outside conductor to an inside conductor. The latter is, in turn, connected to an electrical design element of the equipment, in particular, to a cable connection for the illuminating equipment of bicycles. The illuminating equipment for bicycles involves mainly dynamos, headlights and tail lights.
In the case of bicycle lights, usually a conductor is represented by the frame so that one electrical connection from each illuminating item to the frame and only one additional conductor is necessary. With dynamos or generators for bicycles, only one conductor in the form of a cable leads from such a dynamo. As a rule, this cable is the end of the stator winding to which, as conductor, one or several cables are connected which lead to the vehicle lights which, in turn, are also connected to the frame of the vehicle.
With known dynamos, the end of the stator winding is equipped with a solder-fastened or crimped connecting eyelet and fastened to a screw whose shaft passes through the bottom cap (made of insulating material) of the dynamo and is kept in the mounting position by an attached nut. To the screwshaft section extending from the bottom cap of the dynamo to the outside, the connecting eyelets of the cables leading to the consuming device are attached and fastened by means of a nut.
The above-described cable connection has been used with practically no change for many years. In spite of this long-standing use, the solution known in the art, in view of its expensive construction from a large number of individual parts, which have to be assembled by hand in the proper sequence, appears to be highly unsatisfactory.
Also from a technical viewpoint, the known solution does not meet the requirements to be made, because when soldering or using the cheaper method of crimping connecting an eyelet to the thin and sensitive wire end of the stator winding, the notch effect may cause the wire cross-section to be damaged. Furthermore, in the connection area between connecting eyelet and wire end, breaks may occur, making the entire assembly useless.
Finally, when fastening the outside conductors by means of a handtightened locknut, while riding the vehicle, there ensures undesirable loosening of the cable connections. This impairs the contact and hence the vehicle illumination. With complete loosening of the connection, the cable ends may be enmeshed with the spokes of the wheels.
The outside connections conventional with headlights and tail lights, in a manner similar to dynamos, are also put into use by means of a screw extending through an insulator bushing in the housing of the illuminated equipment. The connecting eyelets of cables are slipped over this screw and fastened by means of nuts. These cable connectors also are found to be expensive and while riding, undesirable loosening may result so that contact is interrupted and the vehicle illumination is disturbed.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a cable connection to be used especially for illuminating equipment on bicycles which is distinguished by simple construction, easy assembly and high reliability.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a cable connection of the foregoing character which may be economically fabricated and has a substantially long operating life.